Festa della Rificolona

The ancient feast of the bizarre paper lanterns

The Event takes place in San Giovanni Valdarno every September 7. This quaint tradition, that features the most bizarre shaped paper lanterns, seems to date back to the mid 1600 when farmers from the province on their way to walk in Florence ahead of the weekly fair.

The name "rificolona" seems to refer to epithets with which the Florentines they reprimanded the peasants. They were mainly women to come you mock with nicknames like "fierucolone", from which is derived the current term "rificolona".

 

Photo Credits [valdarno24.it]